With today being Leap Day and with St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, the thoughts of unique and lucky were in my head. And the perfect feature flower for such a day - Bells of Ireland. Cultivated for its spikes of flowers, Bells of Ireland represent good luck and you can never have too much good luck, plus they are available all year long.

Bells of Ireland are a fragrant, lime green colored flower. A member of the mint family, the blooming stems can be cut and used in fresh or dried flower arrangements. Bells of Ireland have numerous shell-like blooms that are about 1-2" in diameter, sometimes with small white flowers inside. They are tall about 24-30". The stems of Bells of Ireland are covered with tiny thorns which may irritate the skin. Many designers use gloves when designing with this flower. They are also phototropic, which means they will bend toward the light, giving each stem a whimsical curvature.

Interesting Fact: Although, Bells of Ireland are associated with St. Patrick's Day, the only association that the flower has with Ireland is the name. They were first cultivated in Belgium in the late 1500.